


The Batter's Will

by Enticing_Goo



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Bad!Batter - Freeform, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Possessive Behavior, Rating will go up and characters will be added as I go, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 21:11:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3704945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enticing_Goo/pseuds/Enticing_Goo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Batter decides he wants to meet his player. What will happen when his player comes home and is greeted by a not so human Batter? Fluff and confusion, that's what.</p><p>Video game characters coming to life aren't good for our protagonist's health.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> Hello so basically I started this at 3 am because I couldn't sleep. I wrote the first chapter on mobile so feel free to point out any mistakes. 
> 
> This is my first fic in years so be gentle with me <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our protagonist, Kachus, has an uninvited guest.

 Kachus stretched. After hours of sitting at his laptop and moving barely an inch, he finally finished OFF. He had gone into the game with no expectations. Out of pure boredom, the young man had downloaded the game and to his surprise, he thoroughly enjoyed it. There was something about the plot, the twists, and the art style that made him grow to love the game.

With a quiet groan, he leaned back in his chair and then sighed as his joints popped and cracked out of their stiffness. "Well, Batter," he said with a grin and a fond look at the screen as it faded back to the title screen, "I'm glad I stuck with you 'till the very end." Kachus knew that the Batter couldn't hear him; he was a fictional character. Despite that, it didn't stop his mind from wandering. What if he was real? The dark haired male laughed as he imagined his favourite character trying to fit into his world.

"No way." He muttered at the thought then practically fell out of his chair. Sitting cross-legged in a chair did not provide the best circulation for one's legs, he concluded. Hoping no one in the neighbouring condos heard that loud thump, Kachus dragged himself to bed and promptly fell asleep with thoughts full of Off.

\--------------

"I'm glad I stuck with you 'till the very end." Those words echoed in the darkness-- the nothingness. It was over. The switch was off. What was there now? Nothing. Nothing but those precious words.

The Batter looked upwards to what would be sky-- if there was one. His player had fought alongside him on this long journey. Clumsy at first but skillful and clever once he got a hang of it, the Batter was glad to be under his control. Even better, when the final decision had to be made, his player had picked him without hesitation. The athlete felt a surge of loyalty and longing. Right then and there, he decided that he was going to meet his puppeteer no matter what.

"Kachus..." The word hung in front of him, seemingly floating in the nothingness. The batter picked up his bat and adjusted his cap. He had another long journey ahead of him.

\---------

The day had been too long. Who thought it was a good idea to make him carry all of those heavy crates? Kachus looked down at his arms, irritated from being rubbed up against rough wood. That would teach him for wearing short sleeves to work. His feet felt like lead as he dragged them across the pavement to his condo. The thought that kept him moving was the food he would eat when he got home. TV dinners weren't the healthiest, but they were better than nothing. As he reached his door, he thought he heard a sound on the other side of the door. He opened it cautiously and was greeted with quiet darkness.

"Hello..?" He called cautiously and mentally scolded himself. Idiot! That's exactly what you're not supposed to do! If you were in a horror movie, you would be dead. In one quick motion, he flipped on the lights. Everything looked normal... Aside from his laptop being on the floor. Kachus gulped, staying alert while he closed the door and cautiously moved over to his poor laptop. Thankfully it wasn't damaged, however, a quick glance at the screen told him that Off wouldn't be playable anytime soon. That made his heart sink; he had been looking forward to revisiting that game.

Satisfied with not being attacked upon entering his home, Kachus placed the laptop back on its proper spot on his desk and turned to go to the kitchen. Upon taking his first step towards his goal, his face, or rather all of him, collided with a wall of... Person?!

With a startled shout, the young man skittered backwards, backing up into a wall. His eyes shot up to try to identify the stranger but was met with a gaze that was not of a human's. It's eyes were white and empty and it's face-- could he even call that a face? composed of a long curved about and giant, sharp teeth. Its body was mostly human, the big claw-like hands were the exception. The creature let out a low, growling sound and stepped closer. At this point, Kachus could only let out a tiny squeak as he pressed himself against the wall, willing it to suck him in.

Don't go down without a fight! Something in him said and before he knew it, his fist was flying at the beast. Mid flight, Kachus knew that was a bad idea and willed his fist to stop, but it was too late. The beast caught his fist. Kachus prepared to get his arm chomped off, but instead his was pulled into an embrace. He froze. He was stunned. He was speechless. He was completely and utterly confused.

"My player... Kachus." Came the low rumble from somewhere deep in the monster's throat. How did this ghastly thing know his name?

"W-what?!" Unintelligible as it was, that was the only thing the human could manage. It took him a moment, but he regained control of his body and tried to shove the thing away. It's grip loosened slightly; it had no intention of letting him run. Unable to bring himself to look at the creature's face, he settled for his chest and noticed that he was wearing what appeared to be... A baseball jersey? It looked familiar.

Kachus gasped and looked up at the thing's head. A baseball cap!

"B-Batter?!" He said with obvious shock. There was that low growl again.

"I'm the Batter." The batter confirmed, wrapping his massive arms around his player again.

"Why do you look like this?" Kachus asked, voice as shaky as his trembling body.

"It's how you see me. Like in the game. I looked human to you. You see me as a monster now, don't you?" He spoke in a thick accent (he wasn't sure what accent it was exactly) and a monotone tone.

"N-no! Well..." Kachus' voice trailed off and the Batter finally let him go. "Wait-- why are you here?!"

"I wanted to see you." The Batter stated bluntly. The other male wondered how he could speak so clearly with no lips.

"But you're a fictional character; from a game!" Kachus cried.

"I wanted to see you so I came here." The Batter wasn't being very helpful. Questioning would have to wait unless...

"... I'm dreaming. I must be." That was logical. Perfectly logical. The Batter? In the real world? Laughable. Impossible. Kachus pulled his way out of the Batter's grip and brushed past him. "I'm going to wake up any moment and none of this will have happened."

"You're not dreaming." The long snout was dangerously close to the man's ear. Kachus could feel the heat radiating off of the other being.

"Not dreaming. Got it." Kachus repeated upon deciding that no nightmare or dream could ever feel as real as the hug he received or the hot breath tickling his neck. "What the hell."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter ended so abruptly. I promise we will get to the good stuff in the next chapter. Winks.  
> Fun fact: Kachus is the name I use for like. All of the males I play in games. Why is it spelled that way and what does it mean? Idk I like the sound. It's actually a misspelling of another name haha cries
> 
> Typing on mobile is a pain gdi


	2. First Night, First Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our protagonist, Kachus, deals with the monster under his bed.

In the twenty years Kachus had lived, there wasn't a single time he thought that he would be sitting across from a human-lizard monster that came out of a video game. After the initial shock of having a video game character _hug_ him, Kachus somehow coaxed the giant Batter into the kitchen where they now sat opposite of each other. There was something comforting about having a piece of furniture between them; the Batter wasn't exactly known for being gentle or planned. Who knew what could set the massive creature off into a bat-swinging frenzy?

Speaking of which, Kachus found the way the Batter sat was almost contradicting to his appearance. While he appeared to be a terrifying, blank-eyed lizard-monster, his pose was calm and civilized with his 'hands' (they were more like giant claws) laced neatly together on the table in front of him. Large eyes blinked owlishly at him, startling him out of his trance. 

"What do you want to ask me?" He demanded, straight to the topic usual. 

The young man blinked as he raked his mind for his train of thought. "Oh, right-- questions. I have a lot." He warned. The Batter stared straight at him with one of his eyes (it's hard to stare at someone with both eyes when your eyes are placed on the sides of your head), silently urging him to continue. "First question: How did you get here?" 

Several painful seconds passed as Kachus waited for an answer. Finally, the Batter opened his enormous jaws and spoke, "It was dark and I just kept thinking of you. Then a light appeared so I walked towards it and ended up here." It was a short answer that brought up more questions than answers, but Kachus had a feeling that he wasn't going to get anywhere if he pursued this line if questioning. It sounded like that was the extent of the Batter's knowledge about his arrival to the "real" world. Kachus studied the backs of his hands, raking his mind for what to say next. 

"...Right. A light. So,uh, do you know how to get back?" He had a sneaking suspicion that the Batter didn't know or he didn't want to know- or both. 

"I don't know and I don't want to know; I want to stay here with you." Kachus' suspicions were confirmed. 

 "But you have to go home, right--"

"There is no home. There is nothing, remember?" 

 _Oh, that's right. We turned the switch off._ The human sighed. He couldn't send the Batter back to a place void of everything, but having a big black and white lizard monster walking around on the streets probably wasn't a good idea, either. Yes, that would surely cause some panic and confusion. "Well, I guess your home is here now." Kachus said, biting his bottom lip as he peeked up at Batter. He swore he saw him smile for a split second. He  _knew_  Kachus had no other choice, the sneaky bastard. It was either let him stay or let him loose on the world. Kachus preferred the former. 

"That's good because I have no intention of leaving." His voice was still deep, but there was satisfaction hidden beneath his sullen tone this time. 

"G-great..." Explaining this to his friends and family would be  _fun_. 

Despite his warning to the Batter, there were so many questions he wanted to ask and they all bounced around in his mind so fast that he couldn't just pick and choose one to ask. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that what he really needed was to sleep on this and process everything. Questions could wait until later because according to his new friend across the table, he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. "Well, uh," Kachus cleared his throat, "Since you're staying here for a while, why don't we talk tomorrow? It's getting late and I need to go to bed--"

"With me?"

"N-no! Not with you! Not that I dont  _want_ to sleep with you, it's just that we kind of just met and..." 

The Batter looked disappointed and Kachus tried to ignore that kicked puppy-dog face. 

"Look, I'll give you some blankets and a pillow and you can sleep on the couch! It's comfortable." He tried to console his preciously pixelated friend. 

"I want to sleep with you." The Batter growled, crossing his arms. 

"My bed is too small."  _Good excuse, Kachus!_ "We'd be cramped if we both slept in it."

"I want to sleep with you." He repeated, standing up from his chair. The 7-foot monster had one destination in mind and it looked like nothing could stop him.

\----------------------

After having to physically push the Batter and make a few compromises (one being that he got to use one of his host's pillows and blankets), Kachus finally convinced the Batter to sleep on the couch. Kachus himself settled into bed a few moments later. The happenings of that day had worn him out more than a week of work and he fell asleep in no time, knocking him out until the next morning.

That's what he would have liked, at least. 

A loud  _thump!_  and a bump under his bed had jolted the young man out of his deep sleep. He sat up rubbing at his eyes with his palm, wondering if he had just imagined it. Another bump under his bed lifted him into the air for a moment, earning a startled squeak from Kachus. He waited for the next one, but nothing happened. After a few seconds (which felt like hours) ticked by, Kachus swallowed a nervous lump in his throat and dared to look under his bed, gripping the edge so he didn't flip over. He peered over the left side, cautiously inching the underside of the bed frame into view. 

He was greeted with complete darkness which he narrowed his eyes at, knowing that there had to be something there. Suddenly, two bright glowing orbs stared back at him and a beak lined with razor sharp teeth emerged from the blackness. Kachus would have screamed, but it came out as an awkward shout as he threw himself back on his bed, now wide awake and terrified. The left side slowly rose. The poor boy almost slid right off, but the huge figure set it back down before that could happen. Kachus scrambled to turn on the lamp at his bedside. 

"W-wh-what were you doing under my bed, Batter?!" Kachus sputtered, putting his hand over his own chest and grabbing a fist full of his bed shirt. He could feel his heartbeat hammering in his chest. 

"I was checking for intruders." The Batter sounded calm like his player should have expected this. 

"Intru... I can assure you, Batter, there are no intruders in my room." _Except for the one standing in front of me._  The soft glow from the lamp was usually a comfort for Kachus, but the Batter's creature form looked even more eerie than usual as the light didn't hit all of the him, stretching dark shadows across his bony, pale features. With a clawed finger, the Batter pointed to an old stuffed teddy bear that had been thrown to the corner of the room. " _That's_ my bear that I've had since I was three. He's special to me!" He groaned. At least the Batter didn't laugh at him for sleeping with a stuffed toy. Kachus hurried to pick him up and inspect him for new signs of damage. Fortunately, there was none.

"Why does he get to sleep with you and I don't?" The monster demanded, glaring holes into the teddy bear. 

"He's not an 7-foot.. lizard... monster for one thing. And he's been with me for many, many years. He's cuddly, too." Kachus listed.

"I'm cuddly."

Kachus snorted. 

"I'll prove it." He said decisively, moving towards the bed. 

"Wait, Batter!"

The Batter had no intention of waiting as he climbed into his bed, making it look small in comparison. He looked at Kachus expectedly. "Come." He commanded, already under the covers and lifting up a section for his player to climb into. Kachus didn't budge, quite content with standing and squeezing the life out of his fluffy friend. "Come." The monster repeated in a more insistent voice.

Kachus reluctantly obeyed.

It surprised him how comfortable he was pulled flush against the Batter. It usually took Kachus a while to get warmed up when he slept alone, but the muscular frame of the athlete produced enough heat for both of them.  He felt tiny curled up against someone over two feet taller than him with twice the muscle and yet there was that sense of security that made him feel safe enough to relax and start dozing off. The Batter fell asleep in no time and while his snoring made Kachus quietly giggle to himself, it wasn't loud enough to impede on his body's quest for sleep. That night, Kachus had the best sleep he'd had in ages. 

\---------------------

Kachus' alarm wasn't the thing that woke him that morning; the Batter's clawed fist destroying it did. His alarm was already loud enough to startle him awake every morning, but that now paled in comparison to the volume of plastic and metal being crushed and flung at the wall. After sitting straight up and and screaming had died down, he slowly collected himself. Kachus prayed that the noise didn't wake up the neighbours. The last thing he needed was someone knocking on his door to complain on top of dealing with his new 'roommate'. At the thought of the Batter, Kachus looked down to see said monster-man-thing sleeping soundly. Apparently, smashing an alarm clock to smithereens wasn't enough to warrant him waking up. That wouldn't have been a problem if his arms weren't still wrapped tightly around Kachus' slim waist. 

"... Batter." Kachus shook his shoulder lightly. Nothing. He tried again, saying his name a little bit louder and shaking him more. This time, he was rewarded with a deep groan and a little bit of a stir. Unfortunately, that's all he got as the long arms encircled his waist even further.  _Third time's a charm, right?_ Kachus thought as he tried again. This time, the Batter opened his eyes and for the first few moments of grogginess, he looked like he was about to tear Kachus in two for waking him up. To Kachus' relief, he recognized just who had disturbed his peaceful slumber and relaxed. 

"My player." Kachus swore he saw a faint grin etched somewhere in those massive, terrifying jaws. 

"I have a name, you know... And it's time to get up. I have to go to work so if you let me go, you can go back to sleep." He offered a smile to the clingy athlete. 

"I'll come with you." Said clingy athlete decided, releasing him and sitting up. 

"No, no, no." Kachus quickly (attempted to) push the Batter back down. "My boss wouldn't allow that, and, uh, you need to, um, guard the apartment!" He knew he didn't sound very convincing, but he hoped that the Batter would agree. A very tall lizard-esque monster showing up at work clinging to him would not fare well for his employment... or his peace of mind. 

"I want--"

"Please, Batter. I _need_ you to stay here. I'll leave my cellphone number here if you need to contact me- wait, you know how to use a phone, right?"

"... Fine, I'll stay." The Batter bit out, "And yes, I know how to use a phone." 

"Thank you!" He said with a big smile and jumped out of bed to go get ready. 

\---------------------

Things were going smoothly at work. There weren't many customers so it was a fairly laid back morning. Kachus liked it when things were quiet like this. 

"Kachus!" His co-worker's shrill voice cut through the store like a knife in warm butter. "S-someone here is asking for you~!" Funny. Her voice sounded a little bit forced this time.

"I'll be right there!" He called back and ever so slowly made his way to their location. A feeling of dread began to pool in his stomach as though he already knew who it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST, I didn't think I would get this many views let alone kudos and comments haha. I wasn't even planning on continuing this but I guess I'll continue it. Please note that all of this is completely unbeta'd (is that even a thing) so feel free to point out mistakes and stuff.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! It helps to know what people think. winks.  
> Sorry this took so long! I'm a slow-ass writer.
> 
> If you want to contact me privately, just send me a message at my tumblr, enticing-goo.tumblr.com!
> 
> EDIT: Made Batter a little bit shorter bc lbr here 8 feet is really tall and won't translate well irl. Then again 7 feet is also really tall but shhhh. ',:)


	3. Monster on the Streets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our protagonst, Kachus, goes shopping with his very tall baby.

There were times Kachus wished he was right and times he wished he was wrong. This was one of those times he wished he was wrong.  
  
The Batter stood in all of his seven foot muscular glory just inside the sliding doors of the shop. The co-worker that called Kachus was making goo-goo eyes at the Batter and he momentarily questioned her taste in men-- silently, of course. Seriously, how could anyone be attracted to that? The monster didn't seem to notice her as he was busy staring Kachus down.  
  
"O-oh hey. What are you doing here?" He tried to keep a casual tone but it came out strained. A voice at the back on his mind nagged him, telling him that he should have expected this. The Batter rarely followed anyone's orders and if Kachus had learned anything from the time they spent together, it was that if the Batter wanted to do something, he was going to do it. Kachus wasn't his puppeteer anymore.  
  
"I came to see you." The Batter scoffed and crossed his thick arms, "You were taking too long to come home."  
  
Kachus try to sputter out a reply while his co-worker, Chelsea, shot him a weird look that went unnoticed. "I told you that I could be gone for hours, Batter," He said and then choked as he suddenly remembered that "Batter" was not a real name. "Ben," He coughed. Ben sounded nothing like Batter but he hoped that his co-worker would buy it.  
  
She did. In fact, it appeared that she hardly noticed Kachus' slip-up. One might say that she hardly noticed Kachus at all. Her attention was fixed solely on the giant lizard man and her ignored friend didn't have a clue why. What was so good about a giant lizard man? Green eyes  drilled holes into the Batter, trying to figure out what was so alluring about him and why the hell Chelsea didn't lose it when a seven-foot monster showed up asking for wimpy little Kachus. His visual examination of the Batter came to a sudden halt as soon as their eyes met. A staring competition with the pile of discarded cleaning supplies seemed much more inviting to Kachus at the moment.  
  
Thankfully, the Batter didn't voice his dislike for the nickname bestowed upon him. "That's too long. I want to be with you now." He scowled, earning a tired sigh from Kachus. The Batter might have looked intimidating, but the more time Kachus spent around him, the more certain he was that the monster was just a big baby. A big and grumpy lizard baby. When did he get so attached to Kachus? He had no idea.  
  
"I have lunch break soon. We can talk then." Kachus offered and the Batter reluctantly accepted, muttering something about going for a walk.

Once he was gone, Kachus turned to Chelsea to apologize for the interruption but it seemed she had other plans in mind.

“Where did a guy like you find a guy like that?!” She almost spit on him as the question flew from her mouth.

“What's _that_ supposed to mean?”

“Oh please. I know you practically never leave your house. The chance of you meeting _and_ befriending a hottie like that is like, almost nonexistent!”

“...‘Hot’ is not the word I would use to describe him.”

“Answer the question.” She narrowed his eyes at him.

“Why do you need to know where he came from? Shouldn't you be more concerned with getting his cell phone number or something?”

“Oh!” Chelsea’s eyes lit up. “Good thinking! Fork it over, Kachus!”

“He doesn't have a cell phone.”

“Damn it! You made it sound like he had one.” She whined.

“It’s your fault for--”

A loud voice boomed from across the store, startling the two. “Less talking, more working!” Their boss seemed to have two volumes for his voice: loud and _very_ loud. The two quickly went back to work but not before Kachus made a mental note to ask Chelsea about what she saw in the Batter, or ‘Ben’.

 

\-----

 

Lunch arrived faster than Kachus had anticipated and he almost forgot to talk to Chelsea before he headed out. It didn’t take much to get her going, just a simple, “What do you see in him, anyway?” According to her, the Batter she saw was very human. He mostly tuned her out after she rambled on about every little feature but managed to catch the essentials.

His body type was the same as it was when he was a monster-- minus the gigantic claw hands. Apparently, she couldn’t see much of his face or his hair (both were heavily obscured by the cap he wore). All she knew was that he had short blond hair and a _very_ nice jawline. Though it was only for a split second, she swore that the eyes she saw peering at Kachus were a piercing blue. Of course, she could have also been completely delusional in her fantasies. Her lengthy descriptions of the Batter were just that; lengthy. Kachus was sure that she had used the same phrase to describe the athlete’s body three times already.

“All right, I get it,” Kachus quickly cut her off as soon as she began describing in detail what those ‘wide shoulders and broad back’ did to her for the second time, “You don’t have to tell me every single little detail… I saw him, too, after all.” At least that was only half a lie. Despite Chelsea’s in-depth description, Kachus only had a vague picture of his appearance. Listening more might have been useful.

“I’m not going to stop until you agree with me.” She grinned but didn’t say anything else. He guessed she wasn’t serious about her threat.

“As much as I would _love_ to hear you talk about my friend for _hours_ , he’s waiting for me outside and to be honest, he isn’t the most patient guy.” Kachus said, already sidestepping towards the door.

“Ugh. _Fine_. Tell him I said hi.” She said with a smile, waving as he scooted out the glass doors.

It was clear that the Batter had been waiting outside the whole time from the way he rolled his stuff shoulders, cracking a few joints. “What took you so long?” He grumbled at the approaching Kachus.

“Work.” Came the simple reply. The Batter didn't look impressed by his response. “I _told_ you it would take a few more hours. I would have been out sooner but I had to talk to Chelsea about something first.”

The Batter seemed satisfied with that response and turned to have a staring contest with a passing woman. “Where are we going?” He asked Kachus once he had successfully  (probably) scarred the young woman for life with his incessant glaring.

This was going to be a long lunch break.

“Have you ever had a hamburger before?” Kachus was already heading towards the nearest fast food joint. It didn't take long for the monster athlete to catch up.

Surprisingly, lunch went smoothly. It appeared that everyone except for Kachus could see the Batter in his human form so no one screamed or panicked when they entered the restaurant and lined up to order. They got the same lunch combo and sat down at a corner booth to eat. It took all Kachus had not to laugh at how far across the table the Batter’s snout reached. Evidently, the Batter had eaten hamburgers before because he didn’t say anything as he wolfed it down. In the time it took Kachus to eat his hamburger, the Batter had already finished his meal.

“Did you like the hamburgers?” Kachus asked on their way back to the store where he worked.

“Needed more meat.” Came the blunt reply.

“You have to eat more than just meat.”

“No, I don't.”

“It's not healthy, Batter.”

“I don't care.”

“You're not a video game character anymore. Your body needs more than just meat… I think. Does your body work the same way a human's does?”

“No.”

“...”

“...”

“How _does_ it work?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“I guess that’s something we’ll have to figure out along the way.”

 

\---------

 

Fortunately the Batter didn't cause any trouble for the remainder of the work day. He would stand outside or lurk around the shop, venturing out a short distance but never straying too far. On their way to their apartment, it occurred to Kachus that his guest didn't have a single change of clothes or a toothbrush or anything, for that matter. This could prove to be a problem in the very near future (read: as soon as they got home). None of Kachus’ old clothes would fit him… unless he wanted a very, _very_ tight and uncomfortable fit. Fishing out his wallet, he sighed. A new laptop would have to wait. Making sure the monster in his house had good hygiene and clothes took number one priority for now.

“Hey, Batter, there's some shopping we have to do before we go home. Is that okay?” Kachus stopped and pointed at the glass doors of a strip mall. His question was mostly just a way of letting the Batter know what they were doing next; he didn't really have a say in this.

The scowl told Kachus he would rather go home. Rolling his eyes, he led the giant through the doors. Immediately, they were hit with the scent of new clothes laced with perfume. _Of course_ there was a section for accessories and cosmetics in the middle of the store. Before the Batter could wander over to the source of the new smells and sparkling jewelry, Kachus tugged his sleeve and lead him to the adult men's’ clothing.

“You need clothes, Batter. My clothes don’t fit you and you can’t wear your uniform all the time.” Kachus looked at a blue polo shirt then back at the Batter. Nope. Wait, could these shirts even fit over his head? He got his uniform on somehow. There had to be a way. “So… Do you have any preferences for style?”

All he got in return was a blank stare.

“At least look at the clothes and think about what would be comfortable for you.”

The big guy reluctantly lumbered over to a rack, half heartedly leafing through the clothes. Everything he appeared to consider was either white or black-- a safe choice. Kachus found himself staring at him, taking in each movement and sound that came out of his mouth. For someone who looked as monstrous as he, everything he did seemed like something a normal human would do despite being a little bit stiff at times.

Come to think of it, why _did_ Kachus still see him in his monster form? He hadn't seen it in game-- he chose the Batter in the end, after all-- and yet he was the only one who saw him like this. The only reason he knew what the Batter’s monster form looked like was because he'd gone and spoiled it for himself by looking at fanart online.

Narrowing his eyes at the creature, he tried to picture him in his human form. Wide shoulders, blonde hair, a handsome face… He succeeded for a split second until the Batter turned around and faced him, his ghastly face breaking his concentration.

“What?” The Batter’s monotone voice seemed to match his bored expression as he announced, “I picked out some clothes. Let's go home now.”

Kachus blinked and shook his head. “Wait, wait. Lemme see what you got first.” Gently, he took the clothes from the other’s arms, holding up each article to examine. Surprisingly, the guy had a good sense of fashion. Though most of what he chose were neutral colours, the styles of each outfit went together nicely. He even got a couple pairs of pajamas. “Great, but don't you want to try these on first? It's useless if these clothes don't fit you.” They couldn't afford to waste money now.

“Do I have to?” He sounded like an impatient child.

“I would like you to. Those clothes are useless if they don't fit you.” Kachus shot Batter a pleading look, jabbing his thumb in the general direction of the change rooms.

The Batter’s eyes narrowed at him and for a moment, Kachus thought his life was in danger. The creature seemed to scoff. Wordlessly, he stalked off to change. Kachus trailed behind, secretly glad the Batter didn’t put up much of a fight.

The other male couldn’t say the same. He inwardly cursed his player and his natural puppy dog eyes. Who knew he was weak to those?  The Batter wasn’t liking the fact that he was discovering new weaknesses about himself. All part of the “human experience”, he guessed. For Kachus’ sake, he would bear with it all-- for now.

He had no trouble finding the change rooms; being taller than the average person meant that he could see more. Peering over the racks and shelves of clothes, it wasn't hard to locate the sign indicating their location. A subtle glance behind him confirmed that Kachus was following him. Good.

“Wait here,” He ordered the shorter. Roughly, he grabbed the clothes and disappeared into one of the changerooms. Kachus wanted to follow him to see if the clothes _really_ fit, but he had a feeling the Batter wouldn’t appreciate him crowding him. The Batter was a grown man, after all. A grown something. Was he a grown man? Either way, he could take care of himself. That’s what Kachus told himself as he anxiously waited outside, at least.

Moments later, the Batter emerged, carrying a potion of clothes in his right hand and a few items in the other. “These ones don’t fit,” he reported, holding up his left hand, clutching a few garments. He looked a little bit disappointment and as Kachus took the rejected shirts, he spotted a black sports jacket he’d taken a liking to earlier.

“Were they too big or too small?” Kachus asked.

“Too small.” He frowned.

Kachus looked down again at the tags. “Uh… we can probably find the jacket in a larger size. Where did you find this..?” he held it up for the other to see and inwardly swore that he saw the other’s eyes light up for a moment.

“Over here.” A large white claw beckoned for Kachus to follow him. The jacket rack was actually only a few feet away (how did Kachus miss that). With his free hand, he combed through them, looking for a bigger size. Just as he was beginning to give up, he managed to find one at the very back. He fished out his prize and presented it to the waiting Batter, “Here, try this on!”

The Batter eyed it for a moment before taking it and shrugging it on.

“That looks better.” Kachus beamed a satisfied smile.  

“... It fits.” Was all the other had to offer. After slipping it off again, he dropped it on Kachus’ head. Kachus tugged it off with a huff and smoothed down his terribly messy hair, subsequently missing the tiny smirk that ghosted Batter’s lips. “We’re done here?” The way he said it made it sound more like a statement than a question.

“Uh… yeah, I guess so,” Kachus said, scanning the store as though he was looking for something. “We just need to get you a few more things and then we can head back.”

The promise alone was enough to quell any gripes the Batter had for the time being. As Kachus started walking to the toiletry section, the Batter walked past him in working easy strides and scooped up the pile of clothes. “They’re my clothes so I’ll carry them,” he muttered. Kachus smiled to himself.

In no time, they reached the bathroom supplies. The Batter picked everything as though he knew beforehand exactly what he wanted. Kachus knew that wasn't the case. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Still, he couldn't complain. The Batter did as he asked and again, most of his choices were either black or white.

They checked out and Kachus did his best to ignore the total cost of all the items. _If you can't see it, it's not real._ He told himself, scurrying after the Batter who was already well on his way out the door. He silently cursed his height. It wasn’t that Kachus was short (okay maybe just _a little bit on the short side?_ ); the Batter was just really, really tall. Kachus was certain he was over a foot taller. Their height difference made it hard for them to walk side by side without someone speed walking or slowing down considerably. Fortunately, Kachus was the one that knew the way home so the Batter had to match his pace and not the other way around.

 

That's what Kachus had hoped, at least. They were almost home when the heavy footsteps behind him stopped. He turned around and frowned. In front of him was a meat shop.

“... Kachus.”

“No. I mean, maybe next time? I'm kind of tight on cash as it is. I think I have some kind of meat at home--”

The Batter was already on his way inside. Kachus ran around on front of him and stopped, spreading out his arms. “Batter…”

“I want meat.”

“I just said I have meat at home. The sooner we get home, the sooner I can cook it and we can eat, okay?“

The Batter seemed to consider it for a moment before he turned around and started walking at a brisk pace towards Kachus’ house. With him speed-walking, Kachus had an even harder time keeping up and was almost running to make sure the Batter didn’t leave him behind or make a wrong turn somewhere.

… He really wanted that meat.

\---------------

 

Predictably, the Batter didn’t even want to take the time to put his new things away and immediately went rummaging in the fridge for something to eat. Unfortunately for him, Kachus was a single young man with a not-so-high-paying job so there weren’t many options to choose from. The Batter narrowed his eyes at the shelves littered with drinks and small instant lunches. “Where’s the meat?”

“What?” Kachus had been in the other room at the time, trying to figure out where he could put the Batter’s stuff. He walked backwards to the kitchen and leaned in only to see his friend nose deep in the fridge. “Oh. Right. Meat. Uh… in the freezer. I was actually saving it for a special occasion, but…”

The Batter looked at him expectedly as he trailed off.

“I guess you coming here is a special occasion,” he laughed and ducked under the Batter’s chin to open the freezer. “I hope you like barbequed ribs!”

 

While Kachus prepared the meal, he got the Batter to put his clothes away. It felt oddly domestic. There was a seven-foot monster in his house, yes, but he was doing human things. The Batter he had gotten to know was stoic, impatient, and stubborn; the kind of guy one expected to do what he wanted when he wanted. Now Kachus had him folding clothes while he made dinner.

It didn’t take long for the smell of meat and barbeque sauce to fill the small apartment. Admittedly, it had Kachus salivating. It had been a few months since Kachus had the chance to eat something like this. The last time had been at a gathering with his immediate family and a few close relatives. From what he could remember, the meal had been delicious. _‘Food is always better when you have someone to share it with!’_ His mother told him with a bright smile.

Suddenly, it occurred to him that today’s dinner would be shared with a video game character. A video game character. _A video game character who was stuck looking like a monster was going to have a nice evening meal with Kachus._

He wondered if he was just dreaming all of this until the vivid memory of the Batter’s hot breath against his neck swirled into his thoughts. As quickly as it came, Kachus waved it away and tried to focus on what he was doing. Keyword: _tried_ . The Batter’s deep, husky voice and and powerful body kept invading his thoughts. Every time he pushed them away, they came back clearer and louder than before. Despite his efforts to distract himself, the Batter’s voice in his head echoed, whispering words of assertion. The strong arms he felt on that first night were solid and adamant in their place… Kachus could feel his face heating up. Was he really getting flustered by thoughts of a _monster_ ? _But the Batter isn’t a monster_ . A tiny voice in his head told him. _The Batter is--_

“Is the meat done yet?” The Batter’s deep voice made him jump, crashing whatever train of thought Kachus had going before. He snapped his gaze up and saw a tall man dressed in a baseball uniform, face obscured by a black cap.  

Kachus yelped and staggered away from him, blinking rapidly. As his vision steadied, he sighed. Whether the sigh was out of relief or disappointment, he didn’t know, but the Batter was back to looking like his Bad Batter self. “T-the food?” His voice sounded an octave higher in his own ears, “Yeah, it’s almost done. Have a seat.”

The Batter’s expression was unreadable as he held Kachus’ gaze longer than necessary. Much to Kachus’ relief, he eventually went and sat down at the table. Much to Kachus’ chagrin, his eyes stayed glued to him until Kachus joined him.

The silence was almost unbearable.

“How’s the food..?” Kachus asked hesitantly after he couldn’t bear being silently stared at any longer.

“It’s good,” The Batter said, short and sweet as always. He paused. Kachus stiffened a bit, expecting him to ask why Kachus was acting so strangely. “Thanks.”

 _Oh_. “You’re welcome. But i just followed the instructions,” Kachus’ laugh was undoubtedly forced. The Batter was no idiot, Kachus knew that, but he just looked at him and then went back to eating. Was Kachus off the hook? He really hoped so. He didn’t want to talk about this and the more he thought about it, the more he was sure he had just been seeing things. Then again, he had a hard time picturing the Batter as a human and the eyeful he got was pretty vivi--

“You’re acting strange.”

Shit.

 

* * *

 

edit: I haven't drawn in forever but here's Kachus so you all hopefully have a clearer image of him in your head... i hope

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all of the kudos and comments!!! Without you, I probably would have dropped this after chapter one. So thank you again for urging me on c: you're all too kind.  
> Because this is pretty much unplanned, I'm open to suggestions for direction and stuff like that so feel free to voice any comments or concerns.  
> ALSO I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO TRY TO UPDATE THIS sort of regularly??? it wont take a year to update this time I promise. Also no matter how long I take, know that im never gonna drop this bc every time i think im out of this fandom, it sucks me back in
> 
> stay tuned next time for fun and games in the park btw
> 
> o and happy 4th of july 
> 
> My tumblr is enticing-goo.tumblr.com


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